PRIMM Race

Back from the Primm race, and the points race is going to be good going into Baja 1000.
September 11, 2004


Jefferies jams in Class 1, third overall

Hawaii?s Pflueger rumbles to overall, SCORE Trophy-Truck

Victories Saturday at 8th SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300


Christensen captures Class 10 as race-record

184 starters challenge soggy Southern Nevada desert



PRIMM, Nev.?Honolulu?s Alan Pflueger used his rainy-weather experience to good advantage Saturday, capturing the overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck division at the 9th SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 desert race. In winning his second straight race in the 2004 SCORE Desert Series in his No. 28 Pflueger Racing Chevy Silverado, Pflueger overcame rain, mud and a record field of 184 starters to win the soggy 325.6-mile race in Primm, Nev., in a time of five hours, 23 minutes and 28 seconds, averaging a solid 60.40 miles per hour.

Starting first in the afternoon portion of the elapsed-time race, Pflueger led the first three laps of the 65.12-mile course on the east side of Interstate-15, slipped back to second after four. He roared back on the final muddy tour of the rain-soaked course to earn his second SCORE Trophy-Truck victory in just his fourth race in the marquee racing division of 750 horsepower, high-tech, unlimited production trucks.

?As sweet as winning June?s SCORE Baja 500 was, this might be even sweeter,? said Pflueger, 37, a Honolulu businessman. ?In Baja, we may have surprised some people, but today, we had the target on our back and held off 16 great challengers. We?re not here to race, we?re here to win. It was like Hawaii out there, with the rain, the humidity and the mud. We were slippin? and slidin?, but I was lovin? it. I did get a little racy a few times, like going through mud puddles at 140 miles an hour on the dry lake bed.?

SCORE?s 31st anniversary season continued with an unusually low number of 62 finishers out of a race-record 184 starters, competing in 17 Pro and 2 Sportsman classes for cars and trucks finishing within the eight-hour time limit in the elapsed-time race.

Round 4 of the five-race 2004 SCORE Desert Series, the world?s foremost desert racing series, featured racers from 13 States and Mexico racing in conditions that ranged from cool to hot and humid as well as from sunny to cloudy and rainy.

For the third straight year, the race was split into two groups with the open wheel and VW baja bug classes running in the morning. The truck classes, including the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division along with the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel class, raced in the afternoon.

After running for 10 miles with a flat tire on the final lap because his air jack wouldn?t work, Pflueger was able to use the jack of a Class 1 racer who was broken down. Running consistently the entire race, the Pflueger, whose quickly becoming known as the Flyin? Hawaiian, turned in lap times of 1:03:01, 1:03:33, 1:09:38.

?Wayne Lugo really was able to help seal the deal for us by giving us a hand,? added Pflueger. ?We knew we were in front physically, but we didn?t know if we were on corrected time because we had no radio communication after the rain knocked our system out. Fortunately everyone else had a whole lot more trouble and we pulled off another one. It?s pretty incredible.?

Finishing second overall and winning Class 10 was the team of Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif./Dave Mason, Valley Center, Calif., roared past a field of 20 starters in their Jimco-BMW. Despite winning the SCORE Class 10 season point championship the past two years, it was their first race win in the class. For Christensen, a three-time SCORE season point championship, this win was the first ever in SCORE history for a BMW-powered vehicle. They finished their five laps in 5:48:18, nearly 25 minutes behind Pflueger.

With 32 starters, the unlimited Class 1 race was extremely competitive. Damen Jefferies, Oak Hills, Calif., started 29th, took his time, and won for the first time in SCORE Class 1. Finishing third overall, Jefferies, a three-time SCORE class champion in other classes, finished in 5:54:50 in just his fifth race in his new Porter-Chevy. He picked his way, moving up to fifth in Class 1 after three laps and second after four, before taking the checkered flag.

Fourth overall and second in Class 1 was Rick Romans, Big Bear Lake, Calif., who was timed in 6:00:10 in his Jimco-Chevy while fifth overall and third in Class 1 was Mark McMillin, El Cajon, Calif., with a time of 6:05:45 in another Jimco-Chevy.

Las Vegas? Rob MacCachren and Danny Anderson won for the third time in four races this year, defeating a race-high field of 37 starters in Class 1-2/1600 in a Fraley-VW. Despite losing an alternator early on the third lap, the team moved closer in the season point standings. The pair is second to the Brian Jeffrey, Acton, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Carlsbad, Calif., team, who finished third in Primm in their Dunrite-VW. MacCachren drove the first three laps before turning over the wheel to Anderson for the final two circuits.

MacCachren came back in the ?night cap?, driving three laps as co-driver for Mexico?s Gus Vildosola, and survived to finish second in SCORE Trophy-Truck. With nearly one-hour of down time in the No. 4 Vildosola Racing because the engine belts fell off twice, they finished 58 minutes, 32 seconds behind Pflueger.

Jason Baldwin, Laguna Beach, Calif., led the SCORE Trophy-Truck race after four laps in his No. 66 Baldwin Racing Ford F-150, but a bizarre broken upper right control arm on the front end, pushed him back to third in class. His finish moved him into the class point lead as former leaders Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Jerry Whelchel, Rancho Santa Margarita, had mechanical problems and did not finish the race.

Pulling of their first win of the season in SCORE Lite, the team of Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif./David Scaroni, Heber, Calif., defeated a 17-car field in their Jimco-VW.

In Class 5 for unlimited VW Baja Bugs, Chris Bowman of Upland, Calif., won his first ever SCORE race, defeating six-time SCORE Primm winner George Seeley, Glendale, Calif.

Three drivers remained undefeated in their respective classes after four races in the 2004 SCORE Desert Series.

Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., won again in Class 3 in a Ford Bronco while a pair of Mexican drivers also remained undefeated.

Eric Fisher, Ensenada, won Class 9 in a Garibay-VW for his third straight win in Primm, while in Class 11 for stock VW Sedans, Eric Solorzano, Tijuana, picked up his fourth consecutive race win and his sixth in Primm.

Craig Turner, Yorba Linda, Calif., won Class 7 for this third time this season in a Ford Ranger.

Dave Collier, San Marcos, Calif., captured his first SCORE class win and became the fourth different winner in Class 5/1600 for 1600cc VW Baja Bugs.

Other class winners included: Matt Scaroni, Heber, Calif. (Protruck, Ford F-150), Todd Wyllie, New River, Ariz. (Class 8, Chevy C1500) and Kreg Donahoe, Anaheim, Calif. (Stock Mini, Toyota Tacoma)

The race was also part of the annual Toyota Milestone Awards and $12,000 Toyota True Grit programs. The prestigious Toyota Milestone Awards are presented to every racer who completes every required mile of every race in the 2004 SCORE Desert Series. The $12,000 Toyota True Grit purse is split among the SCORE season point champions who are also Toyota Milestone award winners in four non-factory-backed classes. This is the 18th consecutive year that Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. has teamed with SCORE to present these prestigious awards.

The season finale of the five-race 2004 SCORE Desert Series will be the 37th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the granddaddy of all desert racing, to be held Nov. 17-20, starting in Ensenada and finishing in La Paz, Baja California, Mexico.

SCORE official sponsors for 2004 are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Southern California Ford Dealers-official vehicle and CL Bryant VP-official fuel. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca Cola of Mexico, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Herbst Gaming, Kartek Off-Road, Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Bilstein, Signpros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie?s, and Advanced Color Graphics.

The title sponsors of the SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 are the Primm Valley Resorts and Las Vegas Events in association with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2004 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com